Peat-working apparatus.



0. J. SIGLER & H. J. JARVIS.

PEAT WORKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1913.

1 1 1 6, 1 40. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS ca. PHDTILLITHOQ WASHINCTONv D. C

O. J. SIGLER & H. J. JARVIS.

PEAT WORKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3,1913.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO PHOTOLITHDU WASHING ION. D C,

T D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR J. SIGLER, OF MANSFIELD, AND HENRY 3'. JARVIS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THEUNION FEAT COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FEAT-WORKING APPARATUS.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, OSCARJ. SIGLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, and HENRY J. JARVIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Peat-WVorking Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates particularly to peat working apparatus, but is not restricted to such use as it may be used in any connection for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

The object of our invention is the provision of improved means for acting on peat, preferably after it has been macerated and a considerable part of the moisture extracted therefrom, whereby it is heated to generate steam from the remaining moisture therein, and the heated peat when worked to separate the steam and suspended peat gas therefrom, after which the gas is separated from the steam for use in running the plant or for any other purpose, and the peat made in briquets or used for any other purpose as desired.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereofis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is an elevation of a plant embodying our invention with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line w-w in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view of the peat heating unit of the apparatus, and Fig. 4iis an enlarged sectional detail of a part thereof.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the unit of the apparatus in which the heating of the peat occurs as it passes therethrough, whereby the moisture in the peat is generated into steam and is provided at its lower end with the base portion 1, which, in the present instance, forms a conical discharge chute and is supported by and com- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 3, 1913.

edge with an annular worm gear 11.

with which a worm wheel 12 that Patented Nov. 3,1914. Serial No. 765,269.

municates with the interior casmg 2.

Rising from the base 1 are inner and of a conveyer outer preferablyconcentrically spaced caswhich peat is intended to pass downwardly during the heating process. This drum is rotatably supported at its lower end, as hereinafter described, and has an exit flue 8 extending from its upper end in axial relation thereto. A hopper 9 is mounted on the top of the casing 1 with its lower end opening into the upper registering open end of the peat passage 7 to permit the downward feeding of peat through said passage from within the hopper. The upper end of the drum 6 is retained in central position relative to the casingl by 'the provision in the hopper of a spider or arms 8, which carry a central bearing in which the flue 8 is journaled. It is evident, however, that the drum may be mounted in any other suitable manner as desired. The peat is agi: tated in its travel through the passage 7 and prevented from sticking to the sides of the stationary casing 4. by pins or arms 10 projecting radially from the drum at intervals therearound and for substantially the entire length 1 thereof.

The drum 6 is provided around its upper see Fig. 3) is carried by the shaft 13 meshes. The shaft 13 is journaled at its ends in suitable bearings 14 on the top of the casing 3 and eX tends through the hopper 9 across one side of the gear 11 in position for the Worm 12 to mesh therewith, and is driven as hereinafter described.

Disposed within the base 1 in concentric relation to the drum 6 is a multiple pipe connection 15 from which, in the present instance, project four ipe arms 16, each of jects up lnto a registering portion of the combustionchambcr 5, and one of the arms 16 has connection with a suitable source of fuel supply. A mixer 18 is shown as being a which is provided witi a burner 17 that proconnected to the supply arm 16 for admitting air in proper quantities to support combustion. The connection 15 is adapted, in-

the present instance, to form a pedestal bearing or support for the lower end of the drum 6, which is suitably mounted for free rotary movements thereon, as indicated at 19 in Fig. 4. A burner 20 also projects upward from the connection 15 into the lower end of the drum 6 in concentric relationthereto, and may be lighted to permit an internal heating of said drum. The heat or products of combustion rising from the burners 17, when. lighted, are baffled and a conveyer worm 22. The delivery end ofthe casing or trough 2 opens into a vacuum chamber 23 across which in the direction of feed of the peat is arranged a grate construction 24 in position to receive the peat as-it is delivered into the vacuum chamber from the trough 2. The cross-bars of the grate 24 are of concave form and have their arcs or lengths gradually diminished from the first to the last thereof, as indicated in F igs. 1 and 2, the first bar being preferably of substantially semi circular form. The shaft 25, which carries the worm 22, extends lengthwise through the chamber 23 in concentric relation to the grate bars 24 and is provided within said chamber with a plurality of beater arms 26-, which cooperate with the grate bars 24 to agitate the peat in its passage" thereover and to force it between and over said grate bars into the lower. portion of the chamber 23.

A conveyer worm 27 is located in the lower portion of the chamber 23 and has its forward end extending into a delivery trough or' pipe 28 extending from one end of said chamber and provided adjacent to its forward end with a delivery outlet 29'. The shaft, which carries the worm 27, is journaled at itsrear end in a suitable bearing'30 and projects at its forward end from a'bearin'g in the forward end of the trough 5&28. A pulley 31 and gear 32 are carried by this worm shaft at its forward end with the gear meshing in and driving a gear 33 on the forward end of the shaft 25. A bearing 34 rises from the forward end portion of the trough 28 and supports the forward end of the shaft 25. The rear end of the shaft 25, which has a bearing in and projects without the rear end of the trough 2, has bevel gear connection, as at 35, with an upright shaft 36, which has its upper end in veyentrough 2.

bevel gear connection, as at 37, with the shaft 13, which drives the rotary drum 6. The shaft 36 is 'journaled in suitable bearings 37 at one side of the heating unit A.

The vacuum chamber 23 has, in the present instance, a removable top 38, and extending upward from this is a pipe 39, which opens communication between the interior of said chamber and a vacuum pump 40 of any suitable or convenient type. The pump 40, in the present instance, is mounted above the vacuum chamber 23 on a floor 41 and has its outlet pipe42 leading to the lower portion of the condensing tank 43, which is also carried by said floor. The steam and gas, which are drawn from the I vacuum chamber 23, are forced by the action of the pump through water in the bottom of the tank 43, thus causing a condensing and separating of the steam from the gas,the gas being then permitted to pass from the upper storage portion of the tank through a pipe 44 to the burners 17 and 20 where it is utilized for heating the peat in its passage through the unit A. It will, of course,

be understood that the gas may be utilized for any other purpose, as desired. Fresh water is admitted to the tank 43 through water rising above a predetermined level therein. Both the pipes 42 and '46 are provided with U-bends to form awater trap in each. I I I The pump 40 is driven, in the present instance, by a belt 47 extending from a pulley 48 on an over-head line shaft 49. The

shaft 49 is also shown as having driving connection with the pulley 31 on the shaft 3 with the worm 27 through the medium of a belt 50 and pulley 51 on the line shaft.

The operation of our improved plant is an inlet pipe 45 and the tank is provided w1th an overflow pipe 46 .to prevent the as follows: The peat is preferably deposited Y in the hopper 9 in a ground and partially dried state, or with a considerable portion of the moisture extracted therefrom, and feeds by gravity from the hopper 9' down through the annular passage 7, and thence through. the base member 1 into the con- The peat in its passage through the channel 7 is continually agitated and prevented from adhering to the side walls of such channel by the action thereon of the pins 10 on the rotating drum 6, and is heated to a sufficient extent to generate steam therein by the provision of the burners 17 and 20 within the outer combustion chamber 5 and the drum 6, so that the peat is heated by radiation from both walls of the channel 7. The peat in its heated state is then delivered by the conveyer 22 across the grate 24 within the vacuum chamber 23 where it is thoroughly agitated: and broken up by the cooperative action of the grate bars and revolving beater arms 26, so that the gas-laden steam is more effectually liberated therefrom within said chamber. The steam and gas, which are drawn by suction action from the peat, pass from the chamber 28 through the pipes 39 and 42 and pump 40 into the condensing tank 43. The passage of the steam and gas through the water within the bottom of the tank condenses the steam and permits the gas to pass alone to the upper portion of the tank where it may be piped to any suitable point of consumption, as, for instance, to the pipes 16 for feeding the burners 17 and 20. The peat as it falls to the bottom of the chamber 23 is delivered therefrom by the worm 97 to a briqueting machine (not shown), if it is desired to form the same into briquets, or it may be discharged into a bin or wagon for use as a fertilizer or for other purposes.

It will be noted that the rotatable parts of the apparatus are interconnected and driven one through another from a common source of power, thus simplifying the construction and enhancing the practicability and commercial value thereof.

We wish it understood that the invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangement of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In a peat working apparatus, a heating unit having walls forming a peat passage and a heating chamber therearound, a hollow drum rotatably mounted within said passage in spaced relation to its outer wall and forming the innerwall thereof, a pedestal bearing for said drum, and means for introducing a combustible gas into said heating chamber and into the lower end of the drum in concentric relation thereto.

2. In a peat working apparatus, a vertically-disposed shell having its upper and lower ends open to permit thepassage of peat therethrough, a burner. disposed centrally in the lower portion of said passage, and a hollow drum rotatably mounted within said shell in spaced concentric relation thereto and having its lower end fitting down over said burner and journaling therearound.

3. In a peat Working apparatus, a vertieally-disposed shell having its upper and lower ends open to permit the passage of peat therethrough, a hollow drum rotatably mounted in said passage in concentric rela' tion thereto, a fuel pipe stationarily mounted below said shell, a union carried by said pipe and forming a pedestal bearing for the lower end of said drum, and a burner projecting upward from said union within the lower end of the drum axially thereof.

l. In a peat working apparatus, a p1urality of spaced vertically-disposed shells forming an interior vertical passage and a sin-rounding heating chamber, said passage having its upper and lower ends open, a hollow drum rotatably mounted in said passage in spaced concentric relation to its wall, a plurality of pipes stationarily mounted below said shells, a union connecting said pipes and forming a pedestal bearing for the lower end of said drum, a burner projecting upward from said union into the lower portion of the drum, and burners projecting upvard from said pipes into the lower portion of said heating chamber.

5. In a peat working apparatus, a peat heatingunit having a passage therethrough and a drum rotatably mounted in said passage, a vacuum chamber, means for feeding peat from said passage to said chamber, a grate in said chamber onto which the peat is fed, revoluble beater means in said chamber for cooperating with said grate to break up the peat therein, and means for drawing steamand gas from said vacuum chamber and condensing the steam from the gas and then utilizing the gas for heating purposes in the peat heating unit.

6. In combination, in a peat working. apparatus, a peat heating unit having inner and outer heating chambers and a peat passage between said chambers, gas burners disposed in said chambers, a vacuum chamher, a grate disposed in said chamber, revoluble means for cooperating with said grate to agitate and break up the peat within said chamber, means for feeding peat from the heating unit to said said chamber, means for delivcringpeat from said chamber, and means for drawing gas and steam from said chamber, separating the two and then feeding the gas to said burners.

7. In combinationin an apparatus of the class described, a peat passage, means for heating peat in its passage therethrough to generate steam therein, a chamber, means for feeding peat from said passage into said chamber and effecting a breaking up of the same within the chamber to liberate the steam and gas therefrom, and means in con neetion with said chamber for separating the gas from the steam for use in said heating means.

8. In combination in an apparatus of the class described, a peat heating unit having a peat passage therethrough, a drum rotatably mounted in said. passage, a chamber, means for feeding heated peat from said passage into said chamber and breaking up the peat within the chamber, connection between said means and drum for driving the latter from the former, and means in connection with said chamber for separatingthe gas and steam which are liberated from the peat within said chamber and utilizing the gas in the peat heating unit.

9. In combination in an apparatus of the class des-ribed, a peat heating unit having a peat passage therethrough, a peat agitating member rotatable in said passage, a

chamber, a grate construction in said chamber, means for feeding heated peat from said passage onto the grate Within said chamber andcob'perating With the grate to agitate and break up the peat Within the chamber to liberate steam and gas therefrom connection between said means and member for driving one from the other, means for conveying peat from said chamher and having connection With said first means whereby one is'driven from the other, mechanism for driving one of said means, and means. for drawing gas and steam from said: chamber and; separating the same to enable the gas to be used in the peatheati'ng means.

10. In a peatworking apparatus, a chamher, a grate therein having a plurality of spacedcross-bars of concave form, and rotiatable beater means operating over said grate in" concentric relation to v the bars thereof for cooperating therewith to break up peatzwhich is fed onto said grate.

In 'testimony whereof; We have hereunto signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing WltIlGSSGS:

Witnesses F; E. Ann, C. H. BILLs.

Copies on this patent may beobtained for five cents each; by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington; IMO. 

